She barely even stuttered
by sweetness4theheart
Summary: Sequal to Stutters and all. Its two and a half years after Naruto left Konoha and he has returned. Hinata has fainted. Naruto's thoughts while he holds her in his arms.


She barely even stuttered

I didn't want to let go.

No one had been around when Hinata had fallen into my arms and I was grateful. I got to spend time with her, just us two, alone, even if she was unconscious. Every time she had turned red and her eyes had rolled back, someone had always been around. Usually it was her team, Kurenai-sensei, Shino, Kiba and Akamaru. They always took her away, always. But now it was my turn, she was mine for the moment.

It had been two years and she had changed. She was waiting for me, like she had always done, lurking around the corner. When I was younger, I hadn't noticed, but after that time we had talked before the chunnin exam, before everything went wrong, I noticed. She turned up in places that a girl like her would never go; down in the seedy bars that Ero-sennin took me to before we left. I was nervous at first, unsure whether she was sent to check up on the monster, on Kyubbi. But when I smelt her scent, an instinct I had received from Kyubbi after the old man sandaime died, it did not hold any hate or anger. Just nervousness, a little fear and an overwhelming sense of gentle thoughts about me. So I let her follow and after a while, I took comfort knowing she was there, she made me feel loved. But she had changed, because this time she smelt different. I smelt a strength and determination, which had barely been there before I left. My Hinata had blossomed and I hadn't been there to see it.

Her hair was longer. I had sat down with her cradled in my arms, just breathing in who she had become. Her ivory hair was soft and I let my nose rest in the crook of her neck. This was the closest I had ever been to her. Two and a half long years, years I had needed to realise what she meant to me, but so long that I had ached to see her. I wanted her to wake but I was scared, scared that her feelings might have changed.

She hadn't fainted straight away. I wasn't sure whether that was a good sign or a bad one. Sure, it probably wasn't the best idea to get right in her face but I was excited, I wanted to be as close to her as possible. Maybe she hadn't fainted because of me? Maybe the heat of the day had got to her and then I, being the idiot I am, came out and scared her? Oh no, what if she didn't care for me anymore? What if I was too late? No, I couldn't think that. I was Uzumaki Naruto, the future Hokage of Konoha; I was not going to give up on Hinata. She had gotten stronger. I knew she hated fainting all the time, so she would have worked to overcome that. Yes, and she had held out longer in front of me. She wanted to talk to me, to not black out. Yes, that is it. She still admired me, but I would turn that admiration into love.

After all, I loved her.

Hinata stirred in my arms, her silky hair brushing over my nose. It made my fox senses want to sneeze, to bite, to lick and nuzzle. I tried to control myself, I was becoming more like Kyubbi and I didn't understand why. Her beautiful lavender eyes blinked open and I reluctantly pulled back, but I didn't let go. No one could make me. I stared into her eyes and she didn't move, but then I saw awareness creep in and a tell-tale blush moved up from her neck. She was indescribably beautiful, strong and kind. She was perfect.

"N-naruto-kun, I'm s-so sorry!" It was the first time I had heard her voice in two and half years, she had barely stuttered. I felt overwhelmed with pride and joy and every gentle emotion that I held for her. I held stronger, passionate emotions inside of me, but I hid them, I did not want to scare her. My mind was mixed between fierce love and lust and the urge to mark her as mine, as my mate. She had started to squirm but I held her tighter until she stopped, until she lay still in my arms. I loosed my grip and waited, waited for her to relax. But she didn't, I knew she wouldn't.

I had not said anything, but she seemed content to wait for me. She was always so patient, with everyone, even that god-forsaken clan of hers.

I didn't want to scare her, so I made sure my deeper, more mature voice was calm. "It's been a while, hasn't Hinata-chan. I could say that our meeting did not go as planned, but," and there I stopped, trying to reign wayward emotions in.

"But?" she asked softly, in that gentle voice of hers, her eyes to the side of my face, too scared to look into my eyes.

"But," I cleared my throat, "that would not be entirely true."

"How so, N-naruto-kun?" Hinata enquired, her eyes flickering to mine, portraying confusion.

"I was planning on catching you if you fainted this time Hinata-chan and here you are, in my arms, exactly the way I imagined." She was quiet, her eyes growing large and her innocence seemed to draw me in. I leant in closer, a tiny smile on my face. "It is so much better than I imagined."

Time seemed to stand still when I said those words, until her eyelids fluttered, her blush deepened and her body went limp. Well, her body tried to go limp but I felt her will harden and her eyes opened again. I knew she had changed, I knew she was stronger. I had said something private, intimate, something that would have made her faint two and a half years ago. But it wasn't two and a half years ago anymore, we were older, we had matured and my Hinata, my beautiful, sweet and kind Hinata, hadn't fainted.

And she had barely even stuttered.


End file.
